So I recently made a hand shake deal to buy an 04 Disco HSE but the seller backed out because his wife's car blew the tranny. I am big time superstitious and couldn't even begin to deal with handling the karma issues if I forced the deal through (or the morality issue).

My dillema is that tommorow I am going to look at an 02 (72K), 03 (84K), and 04 (79K) SE. That is as much as I could really get out of the dealers. Is the only major difference the engine output upgrade from 02-03 model or is there more to consider? Is the 4.6L engine a big difference make or is the 4.0L an adequate engine given I have plans for aftermarket bolt-ons to get as much as possible out of it? Please help!

Also please advise on some little known, Disco specific things I should look out for during pre-purchase inspection.

Thanks!

 

Aftermarket bolt ons will net you ZERO power increase from the Rover engine, and I mean zero, all it is going to do is empty your wallet.
The power increase form the 4.0 to the 4.6 is not big enough to notice.
The '03's and '04's also got a face lift and if you plan on off roading the '04 would be the one to get as it has the CDL (center locking differential), the other 2 years do not.

 

I personally can notice the power difference between the 4.0 and the 4.6 but only if I drive HARD. Just normal around town driving, they are both slow. You don't want to drive these hard anyway. They get horrible MPG as it is, and the engines are relatively expensive for what they are, so I try to take it easy as much as I can.

As spike555 said, don't waste your money on power bolts-ons. You'd be better of spending it on maintenance or offroad stuff, if you like offroad stuff.

Plan on a front drive shaft right now (the factory one isn't greasable, get an after market), and head gaskets between now and about 120,000 mile (if you're lucky). You might check and see if it's been done. Having a recent head gasket job might make the car more desirable.

 

Thanks for the info. Glad I went on here to ask before wasting money on bolt-ons. thanks from the bottom of my wallet. Also didn't realize the 04 was the only one with the CLD.

 

The 99 and 00 also have the CDL just not the linkage but that can be added. The 01, 02, and 03's are the ones without CDL and the least desirable for offroading.

 

Went and looked at the 02 and 03 today... didn't go well. The first dealer was asking 8999 for the 03 with 84K on it. It had about every possible electrical problem possible... windows, sunroof, lights, seats all had either modulator or motor problems. I told them I wouldn't give them more than 7500 and they were good with it... I left. The 02 was no better, asking 9000 with 72K on it, looked great from the outside but on further inspection quickly noticed oil leak and it looked like there was oil spray inside the engine bay. Anyone looking at on 02 in the Indy area... CHECK FOR OIL LEAKS! Going to look at an 04 tomorrow. After reading the above I should have just gone to check out the 04 first.

 

Have patience, you will find the right one eventually. I looked at around 8 before I found mine.

 

Did you look at that Gray 2003 on Keystone Ave? I've seen it while driving by.
How about that Silver 2004 up on Michigan Rd in front of the car detailing place?
I can give you some tips and show you what to look for, if you are near Broad Ripple.

 

I did check the gray 03 on keystone, it was the one with the multitude of electrical issues. These were honestly all cosmetic things that could have been fixed, but in the back of my mind I was influenced by the lack of a CDL. I didn't know about the 04 on Michigan Rd, but I am from Dayton so going back up to Indy wasn't on the agenda. Thanks for the offer for the tips though. I have found a lot of people to be very helpful on this forum, THANKS!
I did find an 04 today in La Grange, Ky. I paid 9K for my new 04 SE with 79K miles. It also has some cosmetic issues but the dealer I bought it from is pretty knowledgeable and performed a diagnostic on the engine and replaced the head gaskets. Engine ran great so I am good with the cosmetic issues i need to fix. The front bumper was damaged but we worked a deal to replace it with an off road bumper they have built locally. Overall I am very happy with my new Disco and would recommend the shop in La Grange based on my limited experience. I don't know if anyone out there knows any different, but he seemed like a genuinely nice guy (understood that he was trying to sell me a vehicle).

 

Why don't you tell us what you are planning on doing with a Disco, would make a difference on what you should buy.
Also what ever you get serious on have a pre-purchase inspection done by a good Rover mechanic, will save you a lot of money in the long run. Also plane on having the front drive shaft rebuilt and a major service, costing around $1000 retail.